Fountain-pen.



"L". G. MOLBOD.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

APPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. 2, 1912.

1,093,712. `:Patented Apr. 21, 1914L COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co..wASM|NaToN,D. c,

ERNEST G. MCLEOD, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1 914.

Application led August 2, 1912. Serial No. 712,915. i

To all /w/mm t may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST G. MCLEOD, acitizen of the 'United States, residing in Brockton, in the county ofPlymouth and State of lvlassachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Fountain-Pens, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fountain pens and moreparticularly to that type of fountain pen commonly known as thellVaterman Qbjects of the invention are to prevent leaking or sweatingof ink from the pen and to facilitate the starting of the flow of inkwhen the pen is used.

The invention furthermore consists in the `in'iprovements in the partsand devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devicesherein shown, described or claimed.

In fountain pens as hitherto constructed and especially those of theWaterman type and others employing a threaded pen section, I have foundthat much annoyance and inconvenience is caused, due to ink leaking orsweating out of the end of the pen and spreading over that portionordinarily grasped by the user while writing, thus causing ink stains onthe users fingers. rlhe sweating or leaking generally takes place whilethe pen is being carried in the pocket and especially when the supply ofink within the reservoir or barrel is running low. This action, I havediscovered, is due to the expansion of the air within the barrel causedby heat from the persons body which forces out, through the feed tube orpassage in the feeder within the pen section, a certain amount of inkleft therein after the pen has been used, which ink does not properlydrain back into the barrel or reservoir, as it should, when the pen isplaced upright in the pocket. In most fountain pens, of the type abovereferred to, the small feed passage that conducts the ink to the penpoint has its inner end removed from the wall of the barrel or reservoirand on account of the small cross-sectional area of this passageway, theink forms a film or liquid seal over the end thereof when the pon isplaced in an upright position, due to capillary attraction, and it isthis seal or film which prevents that portion of the ink remaining inthe passage from draining back into the barrel or reservoir. As the airwithin the barrel or reservoir expands, the

pressure within the pen increases and thus forces the ink out at the endof the pen.

By experiment I have demonstrated that if a direct path for the ink isprovided from the inner end of the passage to the inner wall of thebarrel or reservoir, that all ink will be completely drained from thispassage back into the barrel and that thcreafter any expansion of airwithin the pen, can be accommodated by escape through the ink feedpassageway and that no sweating or leaking of the ink occurs.Furthermore by providing this direct path for the ink between the feedpassageway, the ink starts to flow readily when the pen is held in aninverted Vposition thus obviating the necessity for shaking or jarringof the pen as is now often necessary with the present construction offountain pens.

The objects of my invention are attained hy the construction shown inthe drawing forming a part ofl this specification, where- 1n- Figure 1is a longitudinal sectional view of a fountain pen embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, upon an enlargedscale, taken through the pen section and Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing 10 denotes the main body portion of the fountain penadapted to serve as the reservoir or barrel for the supply of lnk andwhich, as shown, is provided at one end wit-h an interiorly threadedportion 11 with which coperates a correspondingly eXteriorly threadedtubular portion 12 of the pen section 13, said pen section and barrel 12being tapered as at 14 to facilitate insertion into the usual form ofcap 15. The pen section 13, as is usual in the type of fountain penheretofore referred to, is provided with a feeder 16 which terminates atits inner end generally approximately a sixteenth of an inch within theinner edge 17 of the threaded tubular portion 12 of the pen section.This feeder 16 is also provided with a tubular duct or feed passage 1Sthrough which the ink is adapted to bey conducted to the pen 19. Inorder to form a `pathway for the ink in draining from the feeder whenthe fountain pen is placed in an upright position and to prevent a lilmor liquid seal from being formed over the inner end of the feedpassageway 1S, I cut a notch 20 inthe threaded tubular portion 12 of thepen section, which notch, as will be apparent from an inspection of thedrawing, forms a path for the ink from the feed passageway to the innerwall 21 of the barrel or reservoir. The notch 20 communicates with orintersects the feed passageway 18 and also extends through the tubularportion 12 to the periphery thereof and the notch thus formed will havesharp edges 22 which will assist in draining the ink from the passagewayand prevent a seal being formed over the end thereof.

Zhen it is desired to use the pen, the ink will `readily flow to the penpoint since there will be no seal or film to be broken at the inner endof the ink feed tube or passageway 18.

Although I have shown and described only one form of my improvementswhich I consider preferable, yet it will be obvious to those skilled inthe art that changes and variations may be made in the details thereofwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and yall such changesand variations are contemplated as fall within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

, I claim 1. In a fountain pen7 in combination: an

ink barrel having a screw threaded portion;

end thereof and terminating within the periphery of the pen section,said pen section having a notch at its extreme inner end out through theperiphery thereof and intersecting said feed passage to thereby providea direct path for the ink from the feed passage to the inner wall of thebarrel and vice versa, substantially as specified.

2. In a fountain pen, in combination: an ink barrel; a pen sectionprovided with an ink feed passage extending to the inner end thereof,said pen section being provided with means for causing the ink to drainfromV the feed passage directly to the inner wall of the barrel, saidmeans comprising a cut-out portion in the pen section extending from thefeed passage clear to the inner wall of the barrel and forming a pathfor the ink from the feed passage directly to the inner wall of thebarrel, substantially as specified.

ERNEST G. M CLEOD.

fitnesses NELSON O'rls, CLARENCE L. RANDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D.C.

